mr. garrett charlton sat in lawrence's chamber the same evening impatiently waiting for him in response to a telegram. it was already long past eleven, and the visitor was thinking of departing, when lawrence came in.
he had evidently hurried fast, for he was out of breath. he signified to his companion to sit down, and lighted a cigarette.
"i couldn't possibly come before," he said. "i've been busy all the evening on this business, and as it was i had to leave a little matter to chance. i fancy that you will not be sorry that i persuaded you to stay in london."
"to me it is the gloomiest place in the world," said charlton.
"that i can easily understand. but you are still of the same opinion--you still value the good name of your dead wife?"
"i would give all i possess in the world to clear it, lawrence."
"it shall be done; i pledge you my word that it shall be done. i have the key to this mystery--i have had it from the first. that is why i persuaded you not to go away again, and not to let anybody know you were in london. but we have by no means done with the corner house yet. we are going to spend an hour or so there this very night."
charlton looked up in quick surprise.
"you and i are going there secretly?" he asked. "do you mean now?"
"as soon as i have finished this cigarette," lawrence said, coolly. "we may be too late to see the beginning of the play, but i have faith in my assistant. now, come along. you have brought your latchkey as i asked you?"
charlton nodded. he was a man of few words. he said nothing when lawrence gave him a pair of goloshes to put over his boots, and in silence the two set out for raven street. the place was practically deserted as they came to the house, so that to enter without being seen was a matter of no difficulty.
"we are in time," lawrence whispered, "in good time. i felt sure i could trust the one i picked out to assist me. if i had not been detained i should have been here before. there is not much for us to do."
"are we waiting for somebody?" charlton asked.
"that's it. for the present we have to sit here in the passage with the kitchen door open and watch for the faint gleam of light in the courtyard. it is safe to have a light there because there are blank walls on either side. i think, i rather think, that i am going to astonish you presently."
charlton said nothing, but from the sound of his laboured breathing it was evident that the spirit of adventure was upon him. they sat there for some time with the two doors open, so that they might see through the grimy windows into the courtyard beyond. it was weary work, and the minutes passed slowly.
"i'm not a patient man," lawrence muttered, "but i could manage with a cigarette. under the circumstances, perhaps i had better not."
charlton's heavy breathing ceased for a moment.
"i have good sight," he said. "and unless i am greatly mistaken i saw a figure cross the dim light given by yonder window. there it is again."
it was like a shadow and quite as noiseless. lawrence pressed the slide of his repeater. the rapid little pulse beat twelve and then stopped.
"between midnight and a quarter past," he muttered. "that's about the time. we had better creep a little closer to the window. that's one advantage of being in a house in the dark--you can see everything that is going on outside without being spotted by anybody. come along and see what you shall see."
they reached the kitchen window and looked out. there was a figure there, and what looked like another one in the background. a lantern stood on the flags; the first figure pitched something on the ground that looked like a coil of rope.
"what on earth is that?" charlton asked.
"a rope," lawrence replied. "can't you guess what that rope is for?"
"i am afraid i am utterly in the dark, lawrence," said charlton.
"are you? there is a well in that courtyard. and if perchance anything valuable got into that well, i should say that a rope would be the best way of getting it out. now do you understand."
charlton nodded. it had been his whim and mood after the tragic death of his wife to leave those fatal jewels where that wicked woman had dropped them. so far as he was concerned the cause of all the trouble might be at the bottom of the sea. they were gone, and only he and another person knew the secret of their hiding place. that she might come back and try to regain them he never troubled himself about. even if it had occurred to him, he would not have moved in the matter.
"that fiend probably told some accomplice," he said.
lawrence chuckled. he could see further than his companion. he could see the figure of a woman dressed in foreign fashion with a shawl over her head. she had long fair hair. her back was to the window all this time.
"the spaniard with the mantilla," lawrence whispered, "the evil genius of the house. we shall see something more presently. not that we are going to interfere. on the whole, i rather want these people to get the jewels."
charlton said nothing. he was deeply interested. the man outside raised the lantern, and the dim light fell upon the ghastly outline of charlton's white set face as he pressed against the panes. at the same instant the woman chanced to glance in the same direction.
charlton gripped lawrence's arm with convulsive force.
"man," he said sternly, "that fiend of a woman was my dead wife's late companion."
"charlton's white set face as he pressed against the panes."--page 124
